2007–08 Buffalo Sabres season
The 2007–08 Buffalo Sabres season began on October 5, 2007. It was the Buffalo Sabres' 37th season in the National Hockey League. Prior to the season, the Sabres lost their co-captains of the previous two seasons, Danny Briere and Chris Drury. Briere and Drury were signed as free agents on July 1 by the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers, respectively.Briere signs 8-year $52 million deal with FlyersRangers sign free-agent centers Gomez and Drury Dainius Zubrus was also lost to free agency, as he was signed by the New Jersey Devils on July 3.Devils sign free agent Zubrus Thomas Vanek, who led the team in goals the previous season with 43, was a restricted free agent and was almost lost as well: the Edmonton Oilers signed him to a 7-year, $50 million offer sheet on July 6; however, the Sabres matched the offer.Sabres retain Vanek by matching Oilers' $50 million offer Jocelyn Thibault was signed to the Sabres' roster on July 5 to serve as a veteran backup to the team's starting goaltender, Ryan Miller.Sabres shore up goaltending, sign Thibault; re-sign forwards Peters, Ryan Thibault replaces Ty Conklin, who had served as Miller's backup for the last month of the 2006–07 season and during the playoffs. Conklin was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 18.Pittsburgh Penguins sign goaltender Ty Conklin to one-year contract After losing both Briere and Drury in the offseason, the Sabres' captaincy was vacated. Prior to the season, the team announced that it would rotate captaincy throughout the season, just as it did during the 2003–04 season. Jochen Hecht was named the October captain under this system.Sabres to rotate captaincy this season Toni Lydman was named captain for November,Toni Lydman named captain for November Brian Campbell was named captain for December,Campbell Named Sabres' Captain for November and Jaroslav Spacek was named captain for JanuarySpacek is Captain January before the captaincy was cycled back to Hecht in February.Max Re-Injures Groin; Hecht Captain For February Jason Pominville was named the team's captain in March, and he finished the season in the role. Longtime Sabres' color commentator Jim Lorentz retired just prior to the season.Jim Lorentz announces his retirement He was replaced in the broadcast booth by longtime Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Harry Neale.Harry Neale joins Sabres broadcast team The Sabres' January 1 home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins was played outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. The NHL called the event the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic.2008 Winter Classic In addition to selling tickets at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Sabres also sold tickets to HSBC Arena for the game, which was broadcast for fans on the arena's video scoreboard.Sabres to Host Winter Classic House Party Brian Campbell was the Sabres' lone representative in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, as he was named to the team as a reserve defenceman. It was his second consecutive All-Star Game appearance.Campbell named to NHL All-Star Team Campbell was then traded to the San Jose Sharks on February 26 in exchange for Steve Bernier and a first-round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.Sharks acquire Campbell from Sabres Regular season Divisional standings Conference standings For complete standings, see 2007–08 NHL season. Game log October Record: 5–5–0; Home: 3–2–0; Road: 2–3–0 November Record: 6–6–1; Home: 4–3–0; Road: 2–3–1 December On December 22, the Sabres won their first shootout victory of the season on the road in Philadelphia against the Philadelphia Flyers. Thomas Vanek scored with 7.2 seconds left in the third period, beating former Sabres goalie Martin Biron from the right circle to force overtime, and Ales Kotalik of the Sabres scored the only shootout goal to provide the Sabres with a win, adding to their total with 6 victories in a row.NHL.com - Recap: Sabres 6, Flyers 5, SO Record: 8–5–1; Home: 4–2–0; Road: 4–3–1 January Record: 4–5–4; Home: 1–1–2; Road: 3–4–2 *Played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. February Record: 8–4–3; Home: 5–3–2; Road: 3–1–1 March Record: 6–5–3; Home: 3–4–2; Road: 3–1–1 April Record: 2–1–0; Home: 0–0–0; Road: 2–1–0 Playoffs After winning the Presidents' Trophy in the 2006–07 NHL season, the Sabres failed to qualify for the playoffs. Player stats Skaters Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes *Stats reflect games played with Buffalo only. *Note: Goaltenders are not assessed plus/minus ratings. Goaltenders Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average Awards and records Records Milestones Transactions The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season. Trades Free agents | valign="top" | |} Draft picks Buffalo's picks at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, Ohio.2007 NHL Entry Draft Results nhl.com Farm teams Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans remain Buffalo's top affiliate in the American Hockey League in 2007–08. It is expected to be the last year of the two teams' long affiliation and the teams are expected to part ways at the end of the season. Roster See also *2007–08 NHL season References *'Player stats:' Buffalo Sabres player stats on espn.com *'Schedule:' Buffalo Sabres schedule on sabres.com *'Game log:' Buffalo Sabres game log on espn.com *'Team standings:' NHL standings on espn.com Category:Buffalo Sabres seasons Category:2008 in hockey Category:2007 in hockey